If only
by Rivergirls Anthem
Summary: What if you got to do one day all over again? Something really bad happens to Michael, but Sara can alter destiny. She can save him. NEW : CHAPTER THIRTEEN IS UP! Xo, as always.
1. The day

**A/N : Yes, yes, I know...I'm an obsessed girl who HAS to start a new story every time she finishes one. But this idea has been stuck in my head for a while now, ever since I saw the movie 'If only'. Basic idea : What if you could do a day all over again? There is a HINT of character death in this, But DON'T worry. I once told someone that I would never ever have the heart to kill off a character! Esp not Michael or Sara.**

**The day can be repeated. Destiny can be altered! But that's for the next chapter. Right now : The day.**

**XO**

**PS: a big thank you to Laura-az, who has helped me with this...Girl, I know I am stubborn...but I hope you like it. This is for you.**

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**"_What do you think the chances are?"_

"_It's really up to her. Either she fights and lives, or she…quits and dies."_

They were gone from the room before they could see her smile.

Michael. Michael's face, Michael's smile...Michael's kiss. His voice whispering to her, uttering her senior quote the first day he met her. The flashes of images passed in front of her closed eyes and her ears that had heard nothing but a terrible buzzing for days now heard the sound she had secretly wanted to hear.

And then he called out to her. His voice, though soft, called her name in a way that sent shivers down her spine.

Sara opened her eyes and breathed in deeply.

Her mouth formed his name around the tube and she coughed. _Out._ She needed to...get this out.. Her disoriented hand flew behind her and she searched fervently for the alarmbell.

It took the nurse twelve seconds to race into her room. She took one look at the monitor and clucked her tongue. "Eaaasy now, Miss Tancredi, you're alright..." Her old brown eyes looked at her, concern clearly written in them. Her hand travelled to Sara's hair and she left it there for a while, the warmth spreading through the tired body. "I need you to do something for me..."

_Wait for me?_

"I need you to calm down...You can say whatever it is that you need to say so badly afterwards." Nurse Maggie gave her a small smile. "But first, we need to get this tube out of you. Bet you'd like that huh?"

Sara nodded. _Yes, please._

"Deep breath. And...cough." The patient closed her eyes tightly and tried to control her body when it shook. The nurse shushed her quietly and removed the tube easily. Next, she reached for the glass of water that stood beside the bed and helped Sara take small sips. "Now," she smiled, "doesn't that feel better?"

A soft laugh answered her. "Much." Sara turned her pained head to look around the room. She winced when she heard a small crack. Her fingers felt the back of her neck and... The things that had happened came rushing back to her. She let go of her neck and pulled up her sleeve instead. A big blue spot stared back at her and she tried to choke back the enormous sob that threatened to slip out.

Had she tried to kill herself? She couldn't remember. Sure, she'd wanted to escape reality for a while – be safe inside her own private universe where there was no betrayal of loved ones, but she couldn't quite recall wether or not she'd filled the syringe fully by accident, or on purpose.

The televisionset caught her eye. "Nurse?" she questioned, "how long have I been...you know?"

Maggie nodded. "You were brought in the day before yesterday, miss. Speaking of," she bit her lip, "I should tell the doctor that you're awake. But first, I want to hear all about your relationship problems."

Sara stared at her. "How do you know I have..?"

"Sweetie," she laughed, "when you're in my bussiness, all you need is a split second to know other people's troubles. Do you want to talk about it?"

Sara bit her lip. "Not really."

Maggie just raised her eyebrow, so Sara finally gave in, giving her a small smile. "Alright." She sighed and sat up straight, or at least tried to. The nurse quickly rushed to her help and put a pillow behind her back to support her. Sara sighed. "I can do that by myself."

"Of course you can. Now, about that love-issue you've got going for you?"

Her dry throat hurting because of the sudden laughter that bubbled out, Sara continued. "There's not much to tell really. He lied to me, betrayed me, and I let him."

"Alright." She nodded. "Do you love him?"

Her face turned towards the green park that stared back at her through the glass shield between her and the outside world, Sara nodded. "I suppose I do."

Maggie clapped her hands together. "Then that's all that matters."

Sara huffed a laugh. "If only it were that easy..."

"Listen," the nurse persisted, "If you would never see him ever again. If something would happed to him before you got to see him again...How much would you care?"

She sucked in a breath. "What...what are you saying?" _Sara!_ She could hear the crying of her name only a few minutes before, and now this...

"I said: How much would you _care_ if something happened to him?" The nurses eyes were wide open, and she spoke slowly, agonizingly slowly...as if with every word spoken, Sara's pain would double, triple...

_Why was she talking to a nurse about her relationship with Michael?_ Because it felt good. But this...sense of foreboding that she got from the words the woman spoke scared her. She might as well speak the truth. Maybe then the feeling would go away.

"I wouldn't be able to breathe anymore."

Maggie smiled, obviously satisfied. "Then just love him...before it's too late." She stood up and winked at Sara. "I'll go tell the doctor you're awake now."

The patient was left in her room, without words.

"Miss Tancredi," the doctor greeted her, "It's good to see you up."

She smirked. "Well, it's like you said...either I fight and live, or I quit and die. The first option sounded better."

His eyebrow raised. "You heard that?"

Sara smiled. "I have great hearing, doctor."

He laughed, causing the white coat to fly around him. That white coat...Sara sighed. Three days ago, she'd been wearing one. And look at her now. She was in one of those hidious hospitalrobes that she used to laugh at. How fast things can change... "I have phoned your father's office, letting him know you were up."

She groaned. "What did he say?"

The doctor shifted uneasily. "He was in a meeting." Of course he was. Her father was _always_ in a meeting.

"Well," she said bitterly, "when the flowers are delivered, just throw them in the trash." She pointed towards the abominations on her table. "I suppose these are his too?" Would he ever learn that she hated roses?

A small nod confirmed her suspicions. She laughed. "They can join their expected brothers and sisters when they arrive."

He smiled. "Of course."

He checked her stats (when she could damn well do it herself), and left with a small wave.

He left. Just as Michael had done. Sure, she was still bitter, she still held a grudge. But more importantly, she still hurt. Michael leaving the prison, leaving her..it hurt her so badly that after three years of healing, she had pointed a needle straight at her vein and pushed it in.

But she couldn't blame him for that. She knew that nobody can be blamed for another's actions. Sara drew her hand over her face and jumped when she felt her IV pull her arm backwards. _She wasn't strong enough. _

As much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, she needed him. She recalled Maggie's face when the nurse had clapped her hands and cheerfully stated "Then that's all that matters.." _Was it? Was her love for Michael all that mattered?_

It was the question of the decade.

-

Two hours later, her father stepped into the room. Her eyes went wide upon seeing him, and his own eyes stared blankly back at her. _So much for fatherly concern..._

"Sweetheart," he said while walking over to her and pulling out a chair, "do you have any idea what you've done?"

Sweetheart. The word was an automatic greeting between the two of them, an empty word that he spoke to her, to call her with. If you knew the great Frank Tancredi, politician, wordmagician, you'd know when his words were full of love and when they were empty. See-through. _Sweetheart. _

She nodded. "I tried to kill myself." She hadn't, but hey – potato, potato, why don't we shock Daddy today?

"Why would you do such a thing?" Note how he leaves out the wronged party here. _Why would you do such a thing...to me? To my carreer? _Not _to yourself. _Never _to yourself._

Sara gave him a weak grin. _"I felt like it."_My my, how he would love an answer like that. He'd probably blab it in the news, how his poor daughter had lost her mind after being constantly threatened by filthy inmates in a prison facility. With the way he could spin a story, he would probably earn votes for the next election. "I don't know, Dad."

He snorted and looked around the room. His eyes fell on the garbagecan. "Why did you throw away your flowers?"

"I don't like meaningless gestures." _Everyone who is stooping low – raise your hand!_ Her subconscious literally threw both hand up high in the air. But, she reasoned, it needed to be said. She had never been a 'yes, daddy, no,daddy' kind of girl. The truth, and nothing but the truth...Well, most of the time anyway.

Her father shook his head disapprovingly. "Sara. When are you ever going to learn?"

"Learn what, dad?"

"Child, you can be so naive...it kills me to see you like this." He clucked his tongue. "I thought I had taught you better manners, disrespecting your own father like this."

She laughed. "I disrespect those who disrespect me."

The governor stood up abruptly and stalked over to the door. Before stepping out, he turned back and looked at her one final time. "I sincerely hope that this event has made you change your way of life. My secretary will send you some new flowers. Think of all the work _she_ has put into it, before throwing them away. "

He slammed the door behind him and turned left, marching through the halls. A small smile decorated his face when he noticed people bowing their head when he passed. It felt good to be powerful.

-

A shrill noise woke her up from her small nap. Daddy dearest's visit had worn her out. He was too much to take after a coma.She had fallen asleep mere minutes after he had left. Maggie had come to take her vitals, had nodded in satisfaction and had left the woman to her sleep. Sara looked at the clock. That was 4 hours and 16 minutes ago.

The shrill ringing turned into one of her favorite songs and Sara rolled over with a smile to retrieve her cellphone. The song always made her happy. It was like she had said one day : it will be a dark, dark day when the Beach Boys don't find a way to cheer me up.

"Hello?"

"_Sara...it's me."_

Her breath hitched. "Michael?"

"_Yeah..."_ silence fell between the two of them, and she prayed for him to continue, to keep on talking, because she sure as hell couldn't right now. _"I heard about...I heard about what happened."_

She closed her eyes, pained to realize that he had learned about her one weakness. In prison, she had always been strong in front of him, never showing him all of her fears- even though she was sure that he knew. But now...she was ashamed of what she did...now he knew for sure.

"Michael," she started, but he cut her off.

"_I want you to know how sorry I am."_ His voice sounded so soft that it tore her up. But then he said it : _"For everything."_

Everything...she remembered now. Her hurt bubbled up to the surface, overriding her shame. She remembered how he had bluntly stated that he was breaking his brother out, but that she needed to break the law for them first. How he had admitted to his flirtation being an act '_at first_'. The taste of bitterness reappeared in her mouth before she could push it back.

"Sorry's not going to do me a whole lotta good with what I'm up against right now."

_"Sara, please... I don't have time to talk..and there's every chance they're listening to this call right now."_

"Then hang up, Michael." She spat out, the sharpness in her voice o so obvious when she said his name. _Sara!_ His cry was lost in her turbulent emotions. "Just..." she swallowed, "just hang up."

_"I'm going to make this up to you. I promise."_

Sara closed her eyes. "Why?"

_"Because it was real, Sara. You and me...It's real."_

He did as she suggested. The dialtone ressounded in her ear. She wished he hadn't listened to her. A wave of sadness washed over her when she stared at the blank display. Opening her menu, she searched for her list of calls...She needed to...

ANONYMOUS CALLER

She sighed. That was just...perfect. Closing the phone, she felt her eyes being drawn to the window of her room that looked out on the hallway. She only just caught a glimpse of Maggie shaking her had sadly, before continuing her rounds.

-

It was 6 pm and Maggie stepped back into Sara's room, hanging her head low and not looking Sara in the eye. "You know what happened, don't you?"

The nurse finally looked at her patient, instead of at her charts. "Yes, I do."

"How?"

Maggie smiled and Sara returned it. "I forgot : In your bussiness, you only need a split second to know other people's troubles." She sighed heavily. "I think I'm in a lot of trouble."

"It's going to be alright, sweetie." She patted the girl sympathetically on her shoulder. "Just have a little faith."

"Maggie?"

"Hm?"

"Could you turn on the TV?" Sara gave her a shy smile. "I don't like the silence."

Maggie switched on the button and an annoying commercial flooded the screen. Sara hated commercials.

-

Three hours later, she was still watching the telly when a newsbulletin came on.

"_This just in, from Fox News. Michael Scofield has finally stopped his running. The FBI caught up with him and his brother two hours ago, a few miles south of St. Louis, Missouri. His brother, the death-row inmate Lincoln Burrows, managed to escape the scene, but the youngest of the two was less fortunate. While attempting to escape, he was gunned down by three FBI agents who were in hiding."_

An image appeared on the televisionset and startled Sara, whose tears were streaming over her face. Her breathing became irregular and large sobs wrecked her body. Men – men in uniforms gathering around a white blanket covering...

_If you would never see him ever again. If something would happed to him before you got to see him again...How much would you care?_

_I wouldn't be able to breathe anymore._

_"Michael Scofield had escaped from a high-security prison to break out his brother and six other inmates, who are still at large. He w..."_

Sara stopped listenening. Sara stopped...breathing.

The last thing she was aware of, was Maggies concerned face, hovering over her and her mouth opening to scream for help.

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_So? What did you think? I'm going to make this right, you know (that is, if you want me to)! Tomorrow's...the same day. hehe_

_XO_


	2. The day : reprise

**A/N : I know, I know, it's been AGES since I updated, and this is a rather short chapter compared to the previous one. But seeing as I had the inspiration, the need to unwind and my laptop nearby - I couldn't help it today. Will update another chapter asap.**

**Please tell me what you think?**

**XO**

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**"_What do you think her chances are?"_

"_It's really up to her. Either she fights and lives, or she…quits and dies."_

A tear fell out of Sara's eye when she saw the familiar images of Michael and their ... their life together, pass before her eyes. The moments that had once comforted her, now only brought her pain. She would never see him again, and the last thing she'd said to him was 'Just hang up'. There was no way for her to say that she was sorry...or how much she loved him. Never again would she see those chrystal eyes starting back at her, pleading her love, her forgiveness.

_Sara!_

His cry filled her ears.

Sara opened her eyes and breathed in deeply, her mouth once again forming his name around the now familiar tube. Her cheeks felt cold because of the multiple tears that now flowed freely. She was back where she had been – but he was gone.

_12 seconds._

Maggie raced into the room. "Eaaasy now, Miss Tancredi, you're alright..." Sara wasn't alright and took a blow when she was being called Miss Tancredi. What happened to the 'sweetie' that had been directed at her? "I need you to do something for me..."

_Wait for me._ It hurt even more to hear Michael's words resound in her head than it had yesterday. His voice...Sara let out another tear and her body shook with a sob. She'd miss Michael's voice so much. The way he'd say her name, unwilling to address her formally, and make it sound so soft and beautiful.

"I need you to calm down...You can say whatever it is that you need to say so badly afterwards." Maggie smiled a little. "But first, we need to get this tube out of you. Bet you'd like that huh?"

And that was the moment that Sara knew there was something totally wrong with this picture. She had been here before. Turning her head, she saw the abominations her father had sent her standing on the same table, when she knew _for sure_ that the doctor had thrown them out on her request. Sara stared back at Maggie, but she just gave her a gentle smile and prodded her to get on with it.

"Deep breath. And...cough." Sara coughed, because weirdness or not, she was desperate to get this tube out and breathe easy. She halted Maggie's hand when the nurse handed her the water and gripped her wrist frantically – needing an explanation.

"Maggie, what happened?"

The nurse's eyes widened at the sudden question and swallowed nervously. "Well, Sara sweetie – you were in a coma." _Again?_ "Do you... Sara, do you remember the drugs?"

When Sara kept silent, Maggie took it as a sign of cluelessness, so she continued to explain. "It seems that you took an overdose of drugs into your system and it nearly killed you."

The monitor started beeping fervently when Sara's heartbeart increased. _She didn't wake up?_ Maggie shushed her. "Easy, sweetie – I know it's a lot to take in, but you're alright now. You survived."

Sara could only utter one thing anymore. "Michael." She whispered, dreading the story his name would bring. _Was he dead?_

"Hm?" Maggie had walked over to her and pushed the pillow up behind her back, allowing Sara to sit.

She cleared her throat. "Michael...Scofield. What happened to him?"

Maggie's silhouette was painted against the window and it shifted when she shrugged. "Last I heard, the man was still on the run. Why are you asking."

"Maggie, don't treat me as if I'm some sort of ignorant infant. STOP trying to spare me, for Gods sake!" Sara spat out. She was sick of all these vague answers to her questions, of the stories she had heard before.

The silhouette shrugged again. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't?" Sara laughed bitterly, "then look me in the eye when telling me."

The old nurse's eyes held tears in them when she turned to Sara. "I told you to love him...to love him before it was too late."

_So it had been real._ _He was gone._ Sara hid her face in her hands and her body wrecked with heavy sobs, but all of her tears couldn't drown out Maggie's words.

"He's alive, Sara."

Sara's head snapped up, and she heard a soft crack. Just like she had done before, her hand trailed towards her neck and softly rubbed the sore spot. She gasped. "Wait – what?"

Maggie walked over to the table and picked up the flowers her father had sent her, dropping them into the trashcan. She smiled. "I know you hate these _abominations_."

"Maggie!" Sara's eyes, puffy and red, stared at the nurse, pleading her to give her an explanation. An incredible feeling had surged through Sara's heart when she had heard the news of Michael being alive, but...this day had happened before.

She sighed. "You don't need to know about the why's, Sara. All you need to know is that you've been given a second chance. You get to make this right." She sent a great big smile Sara's way.

"You get to save him."

--

Maggie had left not long after that, and next – the doctor had entered, saying the exact same words he had...Sara shook her head softly. _Yesterday? In another life?_ Time didn't make sense. But it kept on moving towards the moment where three shots would be fired in Michael Scofield's direction. Unless she was there to stop them.

As soon as the doctor had left, Sara pulled out her IV, hissing when the needle withdrew from her flesh. She stared at it. Two days ago, she had welcomed a needle and now she felt almost frightened by the small blade.

Needles. Sara ran a hand down her arm and thought back to when she would feel Michael's warmth underneath her fingers, steadying his arm to give him his shot – that she now supposed he didn't need. _Warmth._

She jumped at the sound of the door swinging open, terrified who it might be. Her father wouldn't come for another two hours, so...She was paralyzed as she stood with her back towards the entrance, and slowly turned her face. Maggie stood in the doorway with a set of clothes and a bag. She wore a big smile. "I knew you'd leave."

Sara turned back to what she was doing and nodded. "I won't let him die, Maggie."

"Love him, Sara..."

Sara winked at her. "Will do."

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_Pleaaaase tell me what you think? Pleaase? XO_


	3. Everything's just peachy

**A/N : a short chappy, yes...But I kept my promise of updating tonight! This is the daddy dearest-part of the day. Tomorrow another part? Yay/nay?**

**Please tell me what you think?It would mean so much after these last two rough days I've had behind me.**

**XO**

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**Sara walked into the motel, her cap pulled down her ears, hiding her face in the shadows. The last thing she needed now was to be recognized by some nosy man or woman who couldn't refrain from asking _if she was really the governor's daughter _and _why she had let herself fall that far down. 'Drugs don't solve anything, sweetheart. I thought you were stronger than that.'_

She had always felt the need to punch that kind of people in the face. How dare they judge her without knowing the whole story. Images of her, smiling next to her father, flickering on a tv screen didn't tell people squat about who she was. She had always forced those smiles to appear. The only real smiles she'd ever had after the age of 24 were the ones Michael-induced. He had become her favorite drug and when the drugstore was out of Michaeltablets, she got scared and retorted to...other thing.

"_I rented a motelroom for you downtown,"_ Maggie had said. _"I suppose you want to clean up for a bit, right?"_ She'd nodded fervently. Not only did Maggie provide her with a solution to look decent for Michael – but she'd also given her an out for the visit of her father.

Maggie'd tossed a set of keys at Sara.

"_Take my car."_

"_Maggie..."_

"_It's a crappy car – but it runs, and it'll get you where you need to be in time."_ She'd smiled warmly at Sara, who had gotten tears in her eyes because of this near-stranger's kindness. _"go!"_

So here she was, in a motel with red sheets and a matching color of wallpaint. She supposed it was being rented by the hour, but she didn't care now. Maggie had given her the time she needed so desperately. Sara looked at herself in the mirror, the faint light buzzing above her, and drew her hands over her face. If she wanted to look at least a bit presentable – maybe even pretty, like the heroine coming to save her man – she needed to work fast.

Clasping open her watch, she glanced at it, before placing it on the side of the tub. _12.17_. _Minus eight hours and forty-three minutes._

Letting the luke-warm water cascade down her body, she placed her hand against the tiles and leaned against it. One sob escaped and tore her body apart. The pain shooting through her body was normal, the doctor in her knew. You don't just stand up to save to love of your life and expect to have recovered from an overdose just like that.

Her hand reached for the bottle of shampoo Maggie had added to the bag and smelled it. _Peaches._ Sara loved the smell of peaches and the softness it brought to everything. She reminded herself to send Maggie a big bouquet of...chocolates when this was all over. Sara grinned. Maybe she'd send her some peaches instead.

--

As predicted, her father called her less than an hour later. She huffed as she read the caller ID. Wherever you went, there was no escaping Frontier Justice Frank. Maybe that should be his tagline for the new campaign : _wherever you go – he'll know!_

"Hello?"

_"Sara, where ARE you? The doctors are out of their wits – you are causing a scandal, sweetheart."_

She snickered. There it was again : _sweetheart_. Well, she had more important things to do this time than listen to his preaching. "I had places to go, father. People to see."

"_Are y – Sara - This is outrageous! The animals you freed are on the loose now, Sara. Thanks to you, there are now a bunch of them raping, killing and what-not." _What a wonderful pep-talk._"Where are you – I'll pick you up."_

"Dad, I'm a twenty-nine years old woman. I can take care of myself." She rolled her eyes in frustration. The thing of never having had a father around when you were growing up, means him still thinking you need to. To him, you're still the five year old he left behind on her birthdayparty to fly cross-country and have a cup of tea with a bunch of politicians.

His voice lowered, supposedly trying to threaten her. _"You know, as a governor, I could have you traced in no time."_

"As a _father_, you'd know that that would be inappropriate." She bit out, knowing he wouldn't care either way.

_"My voters need to be assured that I can keep my daughter in line."_

Sara shook her head sadly. "See if I care." She could only just destinguish the red button through her tears and pressed it in a hurry.

The phone rang again – and she let it.

--

Flopping herself down on the bed, Sara stared up at the ceiling. She'd gotten the phonecall with her dad over with, and his call had hurt her just as much as visit had. She believed that he loved her...somewhere deep down – but it had been forgotten and then over the years, dust had collected on top of it.

She smiled softly. Only an archeologist could find it now.

"My father was an abusive drunk who abandoned his family. I don't judge people because of their father's actions. Or...in-actions."

What was that saying? 'All the best cowboys have daddy-issues?'

Well... Howdy, then.

The tears welled up in her eyes again, and she closed them tightly to block them out. Little by little, her eyelids started to relax – and Sara fell asleep, while her voicemail inbox filled with outraged messages from daddy dearest.

And then another one, of a different kind. One message where a soft voice spoke to her - but she didn't listen.

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_So? Did you like it? Please tell me? Please? It would mean so much to me..._

_XO_


	4. Go west!

**A/N : Hey you guys, I'm back with chapter four. **

**Please, please, please, let me hear something, if you like it or not..**

**XO**

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**_"You have five new messages. First new message arrived at 14.27 from 555-7601343. Press one to play."_

Sara erased that message, along with the next three. She had once memorized her father's cellphonenumber, when she still thought he cared, and didn't feel the need to listen to what he had to say. But the last message was from a number she didn't recognize. She highly doubted her father to be clever enough to borrow someone else's phone in the hopes of having her pick up at last, so she figured – why not try?

_"Sara, honey, this is Maggie. I forgot to ask you to pick something up at my brother's, if you don't mind. It's in the neighbourhood anyway. When you leave, go left. Take the first street on the right and walk until you cross the main road. Turn left again and walk. When you reach that next road, go west. You'll find my brother immediately. Just tell him who I am, okay sweetheart? Perhaps I'll see you later today. Bye for now. And don't turn off your cellphone again. Okay. Bye now!"_

She put down the pen she had clutched between her fingers, eagerly writing the directions to Maggie's brother, who she supposed wasn't her brother at all. She rolled her eyes. Why did people always have to use codes with her? Why couldn't they just come right out and say what they mean?

Because she might be in danger.

Sara glanced at the clock. _16.32. Minus 4 hours and 28 minutes._ It was time to get going.

--

Half an hour later, she hesitantly smiled up at the sign hanging above the door. _Fievel's catapult._ "go west" : good one, Mags.

Her eyes travelled lower, to where the real reason of her being there hang in small, cowboy-like letters painted on a wooden board. _'licensed weapon dealer'_ Her heart sank lower, but bravely, she pulled it up again and stepped inside, ignoring the annoying tinklesound the doorbell was making, bracing herself for the flood.

It took the old man five minutes to step into the room and when he did, he scrutinizingly looked her up and down, before clucking his tongue softly. "You look awefully pretty to be hanging around this shop, little lady."

Sara took a breath. "I'm just here to pick something up. It's under the name of Maggie."

She saw the man's face shine for a few seconds and smiled softly at him when he nodded. "I'll be right with ya."

Mal, she found out his name was, retreated into the back of the store and came back out with a small box, that reminded her of her grandfather's _treasury_, as he called it. When he handed it over, she lifted it carefully and smelled its fragrance. Sara let out a soft grin. Just as she'd expected – the smell of old wood and something else...something exotic and grandpa Tancredi.

"Will this do?"

She snapped her eyes back open and looked at the man, ashamed of her behaviour. "Something about that smell, eh?" He continued, his eyes twinkling at her.

"Yes," she nodded. "Something about it. Do I still owe you anything?"

"No,no, lady. This one's on the house."

Sara raised her eyebrows. Since when were guns 'on the house'? "You go save that man of yours, now...You just go ahead."

"Ah." Silence held the room captive for a split second. "So you know about...?"

"Your little mission?" He lifted his head and let it fall back. "Know all about it. Here," he gave her a small card, "if you ever get into some trouble, call this number. Ask for Mal."

"Thanks, Mal." Sara gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, took her box, and disappeared with the hot western sun following her around.

--

This time, when she heard the Beach Boys coming out of her purse, Sara couldn't find the damn thing fast enough. She dropped all of her things (including the box) onto the ground and sat down beside them, clutching the phone between her head and shoulder.

"This is Sara?"

_"Sara...it's me."_

"Michael," she breathed, "you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

Silence answered her for a while, with Michael obviously thinking about her answer. He was puzzled, she supposed, since he had anticipated her rage, but not her gratitude or happiness.

"_I'm sorry, Sara."_ He paused. _"I heard about what happened, and I'm...I'm so sorry."_

She let out a soft smile and closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the sound of his voice to the fullest when imaging his face and mouth speaking the words to her.

"I know you are. I may not always have, and yes – I was angry...but I realized that there are more important things in this life." She thought about what she was going to say next, how to convince him not to go anywhere _near_ St. Louis, but get as far away from there as he could. How to tell him that she would join him soon, and that as long as they got through today, everything would be alright.

"Such as you not going where you're planning on going. Not tonight. Just...stay where you are for a while, Michael. Tonight's not safe."

"_Sara, I..."_ She heard a lot of shouting in the background and knew that he would end the call soon. They had overstepped their original limit a minute ago, and she could feel the end fastly approaching. _"I need to go. But I just wanted to let you know that, even though it all may have seemed like an act, it wasn't. It was real, Sara. You and me...it's real."_

Her heart soared this time, and she didn't even bother reeling it back in.

"I know. Just be safe, Michael. Please – I can't lose you."

_"I promise. I'll call you again when I can, okay? Bye."_

The dialtone sounded less threatening than it had once done – but still she needed to keep going and not stop to keep on flying high. Sara needed to be there tonight, to make sure he made good on his promise.

* * *

_So, what did you think? Please tell me? If you do, then I'll write the next chapter...if not...well..._

_XO_


	5. The Good, the bad & the old acquaintance

**A/N : Hey guys! Yes, I'm really on a roll here...See, I'm totally making up for all of the time I've wasted not updating. It was time wasted indeed...**

**Please tell me what you think - please tell me you like it? Please? I'll update soon if you do!!**

* * *

The road to St. Louis seemed longer than the map showed her. With every inch of ground her tires covered, there was another second erased from the countdown. Tap tap tap. The music on the radio was soothing, but it didn't keep her mind distracted enough. Knowing that he would be in the area she had tried to talk him out of made her heart pound wildly in her chest and her fingers shake with fear.

_How on earth was she supposed to save him, when she was a wreck herself?_

He was her strength and weakness. She had to go through with this, had to…venture into the unknown with a bullet in her hand. The unknown – St. Louis was a big place, and the shots shown on tv had been blurry at best, her tears clouding them all. She faintly remembered a white stripe on greyish rocks next to a row of bushes. Sara shook her head. She had less than two hours, and no idea on where to go.

**St. Louis 12 miles**

Tap tap tap.

--

Taking a deep breath, Sara entered the diner that looked…rustic, at best. The old wooden porch had reminded her of a set in one of the old 'Clint Eastwood in his prime'westerns. Her eyes had widened slightly at the sight of it, but remembering Maggies advice to 'Go west', she decided that she had to try.Besides, it's not like she had anything to lose, except for precious time.

The doorbell rang when she entered, but – as if she had expected otherwise – no one turned at the sound of it. It was as if the old men huddled near the bar had just assumed that the door had blown open out of its own accord. A real cowboy would have made his entrance known by firing three shots in the direction of the bar, hitting a glass, a bottle, and a lime next to the bartender in mere seconds. Sara's hand travelled towards her purse, where the gun seemed to weigh heavier than before, making a point of its presence.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can…?" It would be the fifth stranger she would question, and not one of the previous ones had known the place she had described to them– a faint dreamvision that was the only straw she had to claw at.

The man turned around and stared at her with the least ammount of interest he could muster. But something in his eyes changed the minute they connected with hers. "I know you, dollface."

Sara swallowed hard. "I'm er – I'm not from around here, so I don't really see how that's possible." Even though she couldn't deny the mutual feeling of recognition, the feeling of having seen this grumpy-looking man before in her life, she thought that denial was probably the best road to take around here.

"I know who you are, though." He grinned a toothy smile and suddenly Sara saw that smile in her mind's eye – years before today, when she had been a young girl. She saw herself spinning around in a little red dress with ruffles – spinning faster and faster and faster, before toppling over to the ground and putting a finger to the scratch her leg had gotten when she had grazed it against the side of the old wooden table that stood, tall and proud, in the middle of her grandfathers diningroom. And then there it was : that same toothy smile from the man who helped her up before returning to his game of cards, winking at her when he was sure that he was winning.

"I – " she heavily pushed a breath out that she didn't know she was holding in. A breath of astonishment, if such a thing was possible. A breath of gladness, that there was someone in here who she could actually confide in, even if it was only because they had once upon a time known the same great man. "Hi."

"'Afternoon, Sara Tancredi." The sound of her own name stirred something in Sara. She didn't know whether it was fear that she had been identified to a whole bar of…old cowboys, and could therefor become judged by them, or something else – but she actually felt her name, deep into the core of her.

She needn't fear judgement. The cowboys never even turned her way, after all, she was – and had been from her very entrance on stage – a whisper in the wind to them. But not to this man… A faint blush crept up her cheeks. "I'm so sorry – I remember you, you know? But I can't seem to recall your name.."

The man turned his face slightly away from her to down another shot of whiskey and set it down on the old wood of the bar, before uttering softly "Does it matter?"

Sara smiled, recalling her own experience when he had called her own. "No,"she said. "I suppose it doesn't. But…" she inhaled deeply, "I could really use your help."

--

_"The place you're looking for,"_ he'd told her _"is somewhere south of here. If you follow the main road in the direction of Memphis, after 3 miles or so, you'll find a road turning sharply to the right. It'll say 'Minsonfe 2 miles'. Take it and drive to the 'crossroads' – a place where to sandy roads come together. You gotta leave the car there, 'cause otherwise you'll get stuck, and it would only be a waste of precious time that you can't afford to lose." _His fingers had drawn the pen over the carton coaster, making her a one minute-map to where she was about to save the love of her life. _"Take the road turning left and walk for about three minutes. Now, there might be some bushes there, but just push the branches aside, and you'll stare the rock right in the face..or stones. Something like that. Anyway, that's where you gotta be."_ He'd wordlessly handed her the coaster, giving her a reassuring nod before parting with it. _"You'll be fine."_ She'd sighed, and he had understood. _"Sara…do you want me to come with you?"_

Sara had shaken her head. This was something she needed to do alone. She'd left the bar mere minutes later, making no promises of returning or of dinerinvites. Truth was, she didn't know whether she'd ever be able to come back there. She was grateful for all the things he'd done for her, this non-stranger without a name, but if there was anything that she hated, it was empty promises. So she made it a thing never to make any.

Her eyes widened lightly when, at a lull in the music, she spotted the small sign showing 'Minsonfe 2 miles'. The music was silenced, but her heart beat at a steady, and incredibly fast rhythm.

* * *

_Please tell me you liked it? Please??_

_XO_


	6. My heroin

_**A/N : THREE TWO ONE...time is ticking...Please let me know what you think? Please?**_

**_XO_**

* * *

_I'll find my way back to you/ If you'll be waiting._

_Please say you'll be waiting._

The tires seemed almost soundless, even though the crisping of the pebbles that lay underneath them must have been loud enough to scare a lot of squirrels into hiding. She couldn't hear anything. It was like the world had been put on mute, and only the sound of the heavy pumping of blood in her veins was audible. It was at times like these that the old Sara, the Sara who hadn't unconsciously handed her heart over to the most wanted fugitive in America, would have reached for the needle, the quick fix setting her whole being at ease. But this time, she wouldn't. All that she needed now was Michael safe, for he was the only one who was able to soothe her soul. It seemed too romantic and smutzy to be true, but nevertheless…there it was.

Before turning off the engine, she looked at the digital number displayed next to her fingers, beating nervously on the wheel. 18:05. The numbers defied her. It would be less than an hour before he would be here – less than an hour before everything would go down and the rest of her life would be decided on. Opening the door, she expertly set one foot on the ground, and then another, the soles of her shoes making the earth beneath her quiver. Every step she took was one she took with a clear purpose, and it made her feel confident all of a sudden. She assumed that this was what Michael must have felt like when he was trying to save his brother – like he was taking on the world and knew that he would win.

Opening the trunk, she took out the objects that her long-ago acquaintance had given her when she had explained her mission to him. The charm necklace went around her, along with the bulletproof vest – he'd wanted her to be safe. That's what he'd told her. _"Your grandfather would never forgive me if I let something happen to you. He'd stand next to Peter at the gates and send me back to this place,"_ he'd motioned around the bar, _"which, believe it or not, is kind of a depressing place to be."_

-

She saw them. Saw the FBI-agents setting up, pulling themselves into formation with their guns pulled up high on their shoulders. There seemed to be forteen of them, the man she'd seen on the tv included. He was their captain, she supposed, one of the 'higher powers'. There was something quite…extraordinary about him. He wasn't one of the robots, who held their finger at the trigger, ready to shoot when the order was given, like puppets on a string. This man, with his somewhat sharp features, looked just that : sharp. Razorlike. Not someone to be trifled with.

Sara nodded. He was someone they would have to look out for in the future. She crouched back down when one of the agents glanced her way and was more than grateful for the bushes that her accomplice had described. They provided some shelter for her, where there was nearly no other shelter to be found.

She tried to do a quick sum in her head, attempting to find out how much time had passed between her exit from the car and now, but it failed. Sara had never been a mathematician and even if she had been, this day might not be the exact replica of the one she had lived before. After all, she had changed it so much already by not following the same pattern, or not saying the same words to Michael on the phone. What if she had changed things more than could ever be undone?

Shaking her head roughly, Sara almost tippled over from the force of her belief that she was supposed to be here – that it was all right. The pieces seemed to be falling together. Every. single. one.of.them.

An excited whisper came from next to her. "I think I see something, boss!"

Her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings, but she couldn't see the apparent signs of them being here that the man to her right had found. "Sh." The leader of them (she'd started to call him 'The Shark') snapped at his puppet. "Be quiet, you idiot."

_Michael…are you here?_

The silence was almost to much for the group to bare, and Sara found that she had been holding her breath for a very long time now. And then the moment came. A moment of dread for some, a moment of happiness for others. Sara wasn't too sure what it was for her. The sight of Michael stepping in the woods opposed to her hide-out made her heart surge, but it also scared her to death. There were men with guns, who were out to get him – for whole other reasons than hers.

She could faintly hear him telling his brother one thing or another, and Lincoln responding to it with a laugh, which Michael returned. They were almost near the open space where she had seen his…his body, covered with…_No – that wouldn't happen now. She wouldn't let it._

"Okay guys, on the count of three, you aim. When I say go…" He didn't need to finish his sentence…When he said 'go', they had to die. Sara's breathing quickened, while she crunched one of the leaves next to her with her fingers, rappidly rubbing them in order to keep calm. The shark had started his countdown now, while Michael and his brother walked further into the bull's eye, unaware of what was going on around them. Sara swallowed hard. This was it.

"One, Two, Thr…"

"MICHAEL, GO BACK!" Jumping up, she only just saw the confusion in his eyes before she turned her gaze away from him and fixed it on the feds. "RUN, DAMN IT!!" She held her gun trained on the puppets, who lay in the grass, transfixed by her movements. They were paralyzed. But one man was not.

"Go!" He screamed. "Go! Go! Go! You idiots!" She noticed the saliva flying out of the corner of his mouth while he raged on, too angry with the way things were going to keep his own sanity in check. "You can handle one armed girl, can't you?"

"SARA!" His voice sounded scared, but, she noticed happily, further away than it had once sounded. She knew that Lincoln must have had something to do with that, and couldn't be more grateful.

"MICHAEL, GO! I'LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE. JUST GO!"

_Girl? A girl to be handled? Exactly who did The Shark think he was talking about?_ She grinned and – running over the open space, fired one shot at his leg, making him cry out in pain. This seemed to at least affect one of the puppets, who decided that it was better to kiss his superior's ass than to save an innocent civilian. He aimed at Sara, and shot her right in the chest. She flew backwards because of the force that had hit her when the flying missile collided with her body, and lay back for a moment, stunned.

Her shock disappeared when she heard Michael cry out her name. "SARA! LINCOLN, GET OFF!"

"MICHAEL, I'M OKAY." She gave a little smile and crawled back up. Gave the forces one of her smiles, and ran towards the forest where the brothers were hiding at her request. She simply touched Michael's hand, that was grippin Lincoln's arm tightly, struggling to get free of the hold that his brother had over him, whispered the word 'bulletproof' and ran out in front of them, knowing they would follow her without a second thought.

* * *

_Please tell me if you liked it or not?_

_XO_


	7. Branches and Roadblocks

**A/N : Hey there everyone! Sorry it's been a while again, but er...here you go!**

**Please let me know if you like it?**

* * *

The branches struck her against her arms as she pushed her way through the forest with no idea on where to go, other than away from that place and away from that man. She had to find a way to get back to her car…on the other side of the forest. Going back the way they had come was no option, whatsoever, so the only possibility was…Sara paused and turned her head slightly upwards, towards the rocks with their sharp points and slippery patches.

She turned her head to look at the two men who were still in a sort of shock because her being there, helping them. "Lift me."

"Huh?"

She gave them a weak smile and pointed towards the rocks. "We need to get up there, so we can turn around and head back to my car. Listen," she continued when she noticed that things weren't quite sinking in, "I'll explain everything to you later, but right now, we just have to get back. So lift me."

Immediately two pairs of hands went on either side of her legs and seemed to push her upwards with all the ease in the world. Her fingers desperately searched for something solid to hold onto and she let out a soft sigh when she finally found a piece of rock on the elevated patch of earth that she could use to pull herself to safety. "Michael, you go next."

She needed him to help her get Lincoln up, because honestly, the older brother was a load that she couldn't handle. The all too familiar tingle hit her when their hands connected, and she almost got lost in his eyes when they looked into hers. _Not now, Sara. The boys need you to focus._

After Lincoln, too, had been pulled to safety, the three of them went back to where they had come from. A few minutes later, Michael motioned them to stop. "Sh."He closed his eyes briefly and the other two stood still, afraid that even their breathing might set something off. "Get down."

They lay on the ground, the dirty earth ruining their clothes, but that didn't matter now. All that mattered was hiding. To avoid being seen, heard or – and most importantly – caught. Sara shivered when she saw the Shark's eyes skimming the very piece of forest where they lay. Michael's fingers lay inches away from hers and without a second thought, she reached over to them and gripped them tightly. He gave them a gentle squeeze in reassurance and surely enough, the FBI team moved on, a steady rhythm in their silent march. "Let's go." She whispered. "We're almost there."

The time flew yet crawled. It took them seconds yet ages to reach the car and to open the doors. Sara looked at her passengers and offered them a smile. "Seatbelts, please." Glancing in the rearview mirror, she put the car in reverse and hobbled along with the tires, back to the highway, and to freedom that lay ahead.

-

It was minutes before anyone dared to break the silence. Michael, who had been staring straight ahead ever since he had taken the front seat, uttered a soft 'wow'. It was all he could say right now – it was all too overwhelming to take in. Sara, _his_ Sara, who had been in the hospital just this morning after recovering from a nearly fatal overdose, had come through for them – saved them from a certain death.

She huffed. "Well, it was definitely wow." Afraid to admit it to them, she could feel the adrenaline still pumping through her, a racing of her heartbeat that – for once – hadn't been completely Michael's doing.

"How did you know where to find us?" Lincoln's voice posed the dreaded question. Frankly, she didn't know how to answer it without sounding ridiculous.

Sara let out a big, honest laugh. "Trust me, Lincoln, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Besides, does it matter how I found you? I did, and that's all we need to know, really." Wasn't it? She had found them, saved them and gotten away with it. The details didn't matter…they never had. "Are you both okay?"

Lincoln merely shrugged, while Michael looked at her in wonder. "We're okay, Sara – thanks to you. You _saved_ us, back there." He swallowed and turned back towards the window, not wanting to see her beautiful features as he silently admitted his own failure. _She'd saved them, and all he'd done is cause her pain. He hadn't been there to save her when she needed him most._ "How are you?"

She smiled a little at his question, hearing the concern that was so evident in his voice. "I'm okay now, Michael. I did what I wanted to… I found my way back to you in time."She looked over at him and felt all the love she had for him flow through her like waves of the sea.

The moment was broken by the sound of the Beach Boys coming out of her purse. "Oh no." She sighed. "Michael, could you get that for me, please?"

"Yeah."He shook his head to clear it of all the emotions that had clouded his mind at the words she'd spoken._ I did what I wanted to..I found my way back to you in time._ "Sara's phone?"

_"__Scofield__? Is Sara around please? Tell her it's Maggie."_

He didn't know what shook him most : the fact that the woman on the phone knew his name, or the fact that she pronounced it with such familiarity, as if they had always known each other. "Er – she's driving the car, give me a second." He covered the mouthpiece with his hand and turned to Sara. "It's er- Maggie?"

Sara let out one of the most radiant smiles he had ever seen and it made his heart surge. She was smiling again. "Hold on, tell her I'll take her in a second." Her eyes skimmed the road ahead for a place to stop the car, and after a second or two, she exhaled.

"Just a second. She's pulling over."

_"__Scofield__, don't let her go again. I'll personally come and give you a good kick if you do."_ Michael shook his head. Now that he had found Sara again – or, now that she had found him again, he wasn't going to ever let her go. Not unless it was in her best interest.

"Believe me, that's not what I'm going to do." He looked over at her and saw her turn his head and mouth the word 'what?', but only gave her a small smile. It was all she needed.

Their hands grazed again, and the familiar warmth spread through his fingers. He wanted to hold her own, and fold their linked hands across her tummy late at night as they were sleeping next to each other, their chests rising together to their simultaneous heartbeat. Maybe...

But for now, he was content just listening to the sound of her voice as she spoke to her friend and watching the glow that surrounded her beauty.

"Mags, I'm okay." She laughed. "I'm serious."

_"Honey, are you sure – sure?"_

"I am more than sure-sure. I found them in time. I stopped it from happening." Sara looked around the car with … gratitude in her eyes. She silently thanked whoever had given her this second chance and swore that she would not let it go to waste. Smiling she took Michael's hand in her own and slowly moved her thumb over each and every beautiful digit. She had always loved his hands. The way those long, elegant fingers had reached for her, time and time again…

A soft sigh escaped her lips. "But now I need to figure out where to go."

_"Ah!"_ Maggie announced. _"That's where I come in, again."_

Sara grinned. "I should have known. You are an _angel_, you know that?"

_"Whatever, lady. You can thank me when you're kissing your man passionately. Have you, yet?"_

"I believe the correct answer to that question is NOYB." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Michael frown at her, but Lincoln chuckled in the backseat. Yeah, she should have known that it would be the other brother who knew that expression. Michael turned to him for an explanation, so Lincoln explained.

"NOYB : None of your business. I'm guessing the woman asked something about the two of you." He rolled his eyes and then leaned forward to address his brother. "Frankly, I think you and I should have a little talk ourselves."

_Oh boy. Now that was a conversation to – not – look forward to._

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Please tell me if you like it? Please? 

XO


	8. Come back to you

**A/N: I am SO sorry that it's taken me this long to update. But now I am back with another update, and praying that you're not mad at me..**

**Please tell me you're not angry, then tell me if you like this chapter? Please review?????**

**XO**

* * *

"_You're a mean-y."_

Sara smiled. "Am not. Now, where is it that you say we can go?"

Maggie seemed to have resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't be getting any juicy details anytime soon, and ended her plea with a little sigh. _"Remember Mal?"_

"How could I forget?" The man had been so kind to her only hours ago…he had reminded her of her granduncle who used to balance her on his knee.

"_Well, sweetie," _she began, andSara was almost sure she could _hear_ the blushing Maggie was doing, _"Mal is not my brother."_ U-hu. _"He's my fiancé."_

"No way!" Michael smiled at her – leaving her skin tingling with warmth and pleasure. O, if he only knew how much she had had hurt when she had heard learnt of his…death. She wondered if she could tell him – maybe she would. She was fairly sure that he'd believe her, especially after hearing Maggie's side of the story. Sara grinned. Those two would get along famously. "So that's the reason why he was supporting my mission so enthusiastically. He's a romantic, ain't he?"

_"Pretty much. I'll tell you all about him later, sweetie, but for now, I need you to get back to his shop. I'm gonna meet you guys there, okay? Everything's gonna be alright, darlin'."_

Sara's eyes connected with Michael's and in them she found the confirmation that she had needed the whole day – it _was_ going to be alright. They were together now.

--

"Everything alright?"

She turned in her seat to face Lincoln, and nodded reassuringly. "Yeah. We're heading back to Chicago right now…" she saw a dark cloud pass over his face and felt that she had to set the man at ease asap. "Lincoln, trust me. I am not going to let anything happen to you, alright? I know what I'm doing."

He grinned. "It's kinda weird being told what to do by a woman who's…well, who's you really…" he scratched the back of his head in confusion, but the smile on his face told her that he didn't mind one bit. "Sara, why are you here?"

Michael's eyes searched her face for the answer that she didn't want to tell them. Not yet, anyway. The pain her vision had caused her was still too fresh, her emotions for Michael still too raw and open, drifting on the surface of her body. Every cell hummed because of it.

"You needed help, and erm – I came to find you."

She smiled at him. A pure, honest smile that lit up her entire face and set his whole being on fire. He was reminded of that day up in the crawlspace, where her ragged breathing in the dark had soothed him – he'd known he hadn't lost her. He had wanted to kiss her, even then.

_Not yet_, he told himself, _wait…_

The promise he had made himself evaporated when her fingers sought out his chin and softly pulled him towards her.

What had happened, he wondered, for her to trust him so? He'd done nothing but hurt her the last time they'd seen eachother at the infirmary; he had driven her straight into the arms of desperation and now she was here, saving him, and currently only inches away.

Their lips were almost touching, and the last space between them drove him insane. She smiled again and leaned forward, capturing his lips in what he believed to be the sweetest kiss mankind had ever experienced. She sighed against him, her fingers touching the back of his head in a gentle carress.

His hair had grown a little.

It was insane, how even the small stubble on his cheek thrilled her beyond compare. She had missed him – had missed this, even though they had but kissed once. It was like that phrase 'I think I would have missed you even if we had never met.' Well, that wasn't the sentence that escaped her lips when they parted, but it came pretty damn close.

"I missed you."

"Sara…" Michael felt the eyes of his brother bore into the back of his head, threatening him with the prospect of horrible things if he said anything to screw up this perfect moment. "I missed you too."

"Well then," she turned back to the road. "Let's head for Chicago, shall we?"

--

They had spent the rest of the drive in comfortable silence, stealing a look at eachother every once in a while. Michael couldn't stop thinking about the kiss they'd shared. Sure, he had longed for it, longed for _her_, but his brain couldn't shut down and kept on thinking about what had caused it. Something had shaken Sara, and he was determined to find out what it was. He wouldn't leave her alone in dealing with it. She was too important to him.

_"I stopped it from happening."_

How could she have known?

"We're here." He heard the faint click of her seatbelt being unbuckled and looked up to find the car parked behind a dusty store.

"Fievel's catapult?" Lincoln huffed. "Sounds real grown-up."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Behave, okay?"

"Can we trust these people?"

She smiled. "They're life-savers. C'mon, I'll introduce you." She stepped out of the crammy car and swung the door closed, before walking in a straight line towards the back entrance of the shop. The brothers still hadn't moved when she gripped the handle.

"She's really something, Mike. If you screw this up, I'll never speak to you again."

"Thanks."

--

She stood before them, the evening sun surrounding her with a soft glow, and patiently waited for them to arrive. He could sense that meeting this people really meant a lot to her, and swore that he would do his very best to show them how much he loved Sara, even though it could not be explained properly. He just felt…alive when he was with her. It was as if, every time he was near her, his heart surged. He was hers, forever, and he wondered if she knew.

Following her inside, he was greeted by a small, greying man with kind eyes that lit up when he saw the two of them standing next to eachother. "Wonderful," he said, "simply wonderful. I'm so happy for you, child."

Sara walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek, her hand softly touching his shoulder as she did so. She then turned to face him and properly introduced them. "Michael, meet Mal. Mal, I'm sure Mags has already told you, but this is Michael…"

Michael stepped forwards to politely shake his hand in greeting and was rewarded by the man with a nod and a broad smile. He liked the man already…

"…and his brother Lin.."

She was interrupted by the loud screeching of a woman echoing through the shop. "Alright, where is he?"

Mal's eyes sparkled at the sound, but before he turned to meet the source of it, he walked over to Lincoln and shook his hand, too. "It's nice to meet you, brother Lin." He gave another small wink and yelled "We're out back!"

The next moment, a tiny woman pushed the bangles that covered the passage aside and entered the room. Her eyes immediately settled on Michael, and he blushed like a small boy that had been caught stealing cookies.

He was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug, but didn't mind when he met Sara's gaze and it shone with love. He answered it.

"She's very much in love with you, Michael," Maggie whispered to him.

"So am I." He told her. "I can't even begin to tell you how much."

That answer pleased her, it seemed, since she let go of him and smiled at the rest of them. "So, shall we?"

* * *

_So? What did you think? Please tell me you like it? Please?_

_XO_


	9. Falling into you

**A/N : Hey guys, I'm so sorry it took me this long, but I've been busy writing my other stories, as you can tell. But, I was re-reading a few of my older stories, and I got inspiration for this chapter. So here you go. Please tell me if you liked it? It's the first time that I've attempted to write something like this, so I'd like to know (or better yet, I _need_ to know, need being one of the keywords for this chapter) what you think! Please please please?**

**XO, as always**

* * *

They spent dinner together, happily enjoying each others company. Sara sat beside Michael and threaded their fingers together under the table, before directing his hand to her leg. The sudden confidence confused her – 2 days ago, she wouldn't even have dreamt of doing something like this – but it also set her at ease. Everything about this was _right_ and real; and she never wanted to let go of this feeling.

But she knew that she had some explaining to do. She knew that Michael would want to know how she came to be there, at the rocks in the middle of nowhere, and how she got to save them. And she'd tell him – she would. After this perfect evening, when he was lying in bed next to her, holding her close. She turned to smile at him, and he returned it.

"So, boys," Maggie stated, "what's next for you?"

Michael looked at her. "Uhm – before Sara found us, we were heading off into the direction of a small airstrip, where a plane will be waiting to take us to Panama the day after tomorrow." He immediately regretted speaking those words. Here the were, after Sara had just saved their lives, and he was already talking of leaving. Her smile faltered only slightly, and he squeezed her leg as a promise that this wasn't the end for them. "But of course," he continued, "the future's pretty uncertain right now."

"Right." Maggie said. "Of course. Mal, help me do the dishes?" Her fiancé nodded and immediately stood up to help, as did the rest of the group. "SIT. DOWN." She ordered with a smile. "Sara, sweetie, I've readied the two guest rooms down the hall – you can decide who shares bunks on your own, I think?" She winked at the younger woman, then disappeared to the kitchen.

Sara smiled. Way subtle, Maggie.

-

Later, as they lay beside each other, not yet touching but craving to, she wondered why neither of them was taking the first step. He had hesitantly walked into the room behind her – fearing that she would turn him away – and had perched himself on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to _do_ something. Yet she didn't – she was silent as she crawled under the covers.

But she'd had enough now. She turned to her side and watched his silhouette framed by the pure white of covers and pillows, waiting for him to glance at her. When he finally did, she inched her way over to him and laid her head on his bare chest, the whiteness of her skin a bright contrast against the dark ink. "Michael…" she started, "I know that life's too short and that it can end any second, so I'm not going to pretend anymore, and I'm just.." she drummed her fingers onto his skin, "I'm just going to come out and say it…I love you. I've been in love with you for a long time now, and I can.."

She was silenced by his lips on hers, his tongue seeking out her own as the warmth of happiness flooded through her body, making her tingle with excitement. Letting out a soft moan, she smiled against his lips as he turned to his side to pull her completely into him, his arms gathering her closer still – the feeling of his need for her was so overwhelming that he _had_ to act on it, he couldn't not. His fingers roamed her body, finding their way to the bare skin under her top..and halting there.



Sara broke away from the kiss to whisper a pleading "don't stop", before lowering her mouth to the muscles of his chest, covered with demons and angels and arches and hell. Her lips followed them all, trying to take them into her mouth and taste the way they felt on Michael. They tasted only of him, a sensation that she could not get enough of.

His fingers found his way to the front of her body, to the soft warmth between her breasts. He gasped at the softness of her. "Sara," he whispered softly next to her hair. "I need you." His voice broke on that last syllable, but he didn't mind. He would gladly be vulnerable with her, show her a side of him that he had only shown on rare occasions. She hummed against his chest, and it was all he could do not to go insane right then and there. He already felt ready to burst as it was, his heart hammering wildly against his chest and his desire never having been this great. The tips of his fingers made their way across her belly, to the small cave of her bellybutton, as her tongue travelled upwardly along his flesh, making it ignite.

Her fingers clasped together on his back, right by the place where she had once tenderly replaced the bandage on his wound, right before he had kissed her for the very first time. The minute her mouth left his skin, he greedily took the opportunity to kiss her neck, making her cry out his name. "Michael. _Please_."

How could he resist her…He inched backwards for a second to look at her: her eyes nearly closed, her skin radiating sunshine – he loved her so. "I love you.." he said, before turning them over so she lay on her back and he pushed himself up on his hands, hovering over her, not wanting to crush her with his weight. But she wouldn't have that, and as soon as he entered her, she pulled his body down onto hers, needing … god, needing _everything._ Feeling amazing as they fitted together, their bodies moving in sync to the sounds of softly uttered sighs and needy calls of the other's name. She would never let this go – she had known for a while, but in these seconds, minutes and hours, it was the only thought that occupied her brain, the only sentence that made its way through the heavy fog that had set in : they _belonged together_ – and here, in his arms, she would always stay.

-

He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck as they lay there, spooning, his arm around her waist to keep her safe, to keep her _here, with him_. "I'm glad you found me." He murmured next to her ear. "I don't know how you did it, and I don't want you to tell me if you don't want to – but I'm so happy you did." He sighed contently, and she turned her head to nuzzle his face.

"Me too." She said. "I love you, Michael."

"I love you too, Sara." She yawned, but tried to hide it from him. All she wanted now was _this._ But he'd seen. "Get some sleep," he whispered as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, "you must be tired."

Her droopy eyes met his in a silent question, eliciting the exact answer she had longed to hear. "It's okay," he told her, "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

_So? What did you think? Please tell me you liked it? Please?_

_XO_


	10. The further the sky

**A/N : Okay, so I was reading some of my stories again this morning, and I just felt re-connected to this one. SO : I got you another chapter. I really hope you like it. It's a pretty long one, but for some reason I felt like I couldn't divide it into 2 chapter. So one big chappie.**

**Please let me know what you think about this chapter? Please? It's just -- I need to know whether or not people still like this story... Pretty please?**

**XO, as always**

* * *

Michael

"Michael…"

He looked at her lovingly, listening to her speak the name that she had repeated over and over in her sleep. It was a wonderful half sigh that was proving to be addicting to him, and he would never get enough.

"I'm here." He whispered, touching his finger to her cheek and lightly caressing it. He wondered how he could have ever gotten this lucky – and the answer to how she found him and simply knew, was still eating away at him. He knew that it shouldn't matter, that all that was important was that they were here, together, but still…

She cleared her throat. "Not to worry you, but could you please go and get Maggie? I'm feeling a little…" she stopped. "But I'll be okay, I just need to ask her something."

Michael pressed a kiss to her hair and nodded. "I'll be right back." _Not to worry you,…_ God, his mind was racing with it. He tried to remain cool and calm, showing her that he could be the rock, be her pillar of strength when she needed him to be – but he was screaming on the inside.

"Maggie?" he carefully knocked on the couple's bedroomdoor and almost laughed when the woman answered it, still drowsy from sleep, and still in her flower print nightgown. "I'm so sorry to wake you, but Sara needs you. I don't think she's feeling well."

Sara

The next thing she knew, she felt Maggie's soft yet worn hands touch her forehead and heard her sigh a little. She could feel Michael's presence in the room, could feel the worry oozing from his body. Damn it, she wanted to be stronger than this. They didn't have time for this.

"Sara," a voice cut through the haze. "Sara, honey, I think you're running a bit of a temperature. Can you open your eyes for me?"

"I'm not.." Sara sighed, and tried to open them. Her eyelids felt really heavy and she only managed a slight crack. _Great, now she could __see__ the worried faces._ "I'm just really tired and I feel very heavy."

Maggie nodded. "I know, honey. I think it's normal – your adrenaline and the stress of yesterday's situation kept you going, but I think the side-effects of your coma are catching up with you."

"What exactly does that mean?" It was the first he'd spoken since they'd entered the room and his voice sounded a bit broken. "I mean, what else is coming?"

"I'm not really sure. I'm going to give her something that will leave her feeling a little sick, but should make her better by nightfall." The phone rang, and she excused herself to answer it.

Michael sank down onto the bed and stroked Sara's hair. "You're going to be alright," he whispered before leaning down to kiss her cheek. "You'll be okay."

"You can't wait for me." She squinted up at him. "You have to go, Michael."

He shook his head decidedly. "No. I'm not leaving you. One more day won't make a difference."

"I'm not strong enough, Michael. Please, every second you stay here is a second they can find you. _Please._"

He bit his lip. "No."

Maggie entered the room, a syringe in her hand and a disturbed expression on her face. "That was Mal – he said that the FBI came into his shop and asked him questions. It won't be long before they figure this thing out, I'm afraid."

"There." Sara croaked out. "Michael, you _have to go_. I won't lose you like this."

"He's not the only one that needs to disappear, Sara – we'll have to find you a place as well."

"She's coming with me."

Maggie shook her head sadly. "She's still too weak, running would put her at risk right now. Sara, do you have a place in mind?"

"I have to return the bulletproof vest to a friend of my grandfather. I'll stay with him for a while." She reached up and softly kissed Michael. "I'll be with you as soon as I can, I promise." She could just make out the sadness in his eyes. "I promise, Michael."

He sighed. "I don't like it, but if you think this is the best… Just lay down for a while. I'll stay just for today. Is that okay?" He turned to Maggie for affirmation.

"Okay. Sara's going to need you anyway for the next few hours. I'll make the arrangements for your accomodation. Now, sweetie, this might sting a bit, you might want to squeeze something."

Maggie expertly inserted the needle into Sara's veins, while she grabbed Michael's arm for support. He didn't mind one bit that it was nearly squeezed to a pulp – it was his job to do this for her, and he'd been through a lot worse. "Oh God."

"There you go – now, you might get sick, so I'll bring you a bowl. And Michael, I'll inform your brother."

"Thanks." He laid down next to Sara and simply looked at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Heavy and light. It feels weird." She turned to him, now able to better open her eyes. "Thank you for staying with me."

He gave her a sweet lopsided smile. "I'll always be here. Except when you," he rolled his eyes, "_demand_ that I leave."

Sara let out a little laugh. "Just wanted to establish who wears the pants in this relationship."

He pouted. "Yeah. I mean, you run out of the bushes and save me like some heroine, firing the gun like a pro, and now boss me around. Let me be the man for once, will you?"

"You can take care of me." She hummed. "And you're _my_ man."

He grinned as he watched her eyelids droop closed. "I sure am."

--

She woke with a start and noticed that her palms were sweating. Her breathing was irregular and she was having a hard time swallowing. Michael immediately sat up and rubbed her back, handing her the bowl Maggie had placed beside the bed.

"It's okay, Sara. You're going to be okay."

His presence was soothing. It was as if nothing could touch her, despite the illness that had taken her. She was happy that her eyes were fully open and that she felt awake. That, at least, was something. Now she just wished that the desperate need to empty her stomach would disappear. She sighed when he took the bowl back from her. "Is that it?" He whispered.

She nodded. "For now, at least." Michael wordlessly stood and went to rinse the bowl, before handing her a glass of water.

"Maggie cleared it with Clive," he told her. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you like, and he can get us to Panama. Apparantly, the man has a plane." He huffed a laugh. "You keep on saving us, Sara."

_Clive._ Yes, of course. She'd forgotten his name, but now that she heard it, it all came back to her. How could she have forgotten… " It's my job, " she smiled.

Michael pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you."

"You're lucky I love you." She teased.

"I know." He said, and looked at her in a way that made her feel all warm and fuzzy, temperature aside.

--

[The next day.]

"Are you sure?"

Sara nodded, blinking up into the blue early summer sky. She looked at the building that would shelter her for God knows how long, and smiled. "I'm sure, Michael. I'll be safe here. You'll be safe. It'll be great. C'mon." She reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers, softly pulling him towards the front door.

The house looked somewhat worn, with creaking frontsteps and an all around familiar air. She wondered if her grandfather could see her now, standing in front of his best friend's house, holding hands with an escaped convict. She missed him a lot.

They knocked on the door and were immediately met with a toothy grin. "Hello babydoll. So I reckon this is the guy you went off to save?" He held out his hand for Michael to shake. "I suppose he'll do." He winked at Michael and motioned for them to come in. Only then did he discover Lincoln standing behind the two of them. "And you must be Lincoln? Welcome."

Sara immediately took a deep breath when she entered the house. "I remember this smell," she mused. "Grandpa took me here once, didn't he?"

Clive nodded. "Sure did. He was tired of 'playing cards in his old dumpster', he told me." He rolled his eyes. "That house was a beauty. Especially that old table."

"I remember that I hit my head on that old beauty a few times, Gramps." A voice spoke up behind them. Clive laughed. "That's because you were so petite, blondie." He motioned for her to come closer. "Sara, you remember my granddaughter Evelyne?"

A woman who was about Sara's age, with blonde hair and blueish eyes, stepped into sight. Sara's mouth fell. "Lynnie?"

Evelyne cocked her head. "What's up, _Beetlejuice_?" She nearly ran towards Sara, who immediately enveloped her into a bear hug.

"I can't believe you're here!" Sara exclaimed excitedly.

The other girl laughed. "Hey, this is _my _grandfather's house. I can't believe _you're_ here."

Sara rolled her eyes. "It's a long story."

"Evelyne has been living with me for almost 8 years now." Clive told them. "She said it was a 'temporary thing'."

"Yeah, _so-rry!_ How was I supposed to know that hag would live through the day?" She turned to Sara to explain. "My dad – do you remember, the beard-y guy? –" she made a pointy gesture below her chin, "married the wicked with of the West, who kicked me out."

"She _kicked you out?_" Sara huffed. "Hate her already."

"Yeah, anyway, and seeing as I don't have a hubbie or anything, I figured, why not look after the old man?" She nudged her grandfather playfully. "Speaking of _men_, who are your friends?"

"Yeah, sure, sorry." Sara grinned sheepishly. "This is Michael, and his brother Lincoln."

Evelyne clapped her hands. "Nice to meet y'all!" Next, she leaned in close to Sara and whispered : "Cute!".

Sara smiled before answering. "Yeah, but keep your grubby hands off of Michael. He's _mine._"

"Nice." She praised. "And my hands are _so not grubby_. Alright, maybe a little."

"Lynnie, darlin', would you stop wearing Sara out. She's here to rest, you hear me?" Clive scolded.

"Right." She amended. "But you know you're going to tell me _every little detail_, right? Now, grandpa will show you to your room, while _I _get to know my passengers a little."

Lincoln's mouth fell. "You mean _you're_ going to fly us to Panama?"

"Panama, Brazil, anywhere you wanna go, tough guy." She frowned. "Why? You questioning my capability?"

Michael shook his head. "We're a hundred procent sure that you'll be great."

"I thank you. Now, we leave around 5, so that leaves you about half an hour to get yourselves ready and say goodbye and all. I'll see you then."

--

Michael

She would be safe here. She had her friends here, who – it was very clear to him – loved her and would protect her, no matter what.

Still, it was hard to leave her, not knowing when they would see each other again. It felt as if they never stopped saying goodbye to each other. It was hard that very first time, when he ran away leaving her angry and confused, and it would be equally hard now, when she was sick and they'd finally had real time together.

He shuffled up the wooden stairs and followed the sound of her voice, explaining to Clive what had happened before, how everything had turned out and how she had saved his life. How his bulletproof jacket had saved her life. He remembered his own agony when he'd heard the gunshot and had seen her fall to the ground. It had felt as if his heart was being ripped out. But she'd survived and lead the way.

Michael leaned against the doorframe and observed her. Her hands flew in front of her body, enthusiastically gesturing to better explain. He saw her smile happily and free. It struck him again how empty he would be without her.

Without her.

She noticed him standing there and fell silent. Her smile turned somewhat sad and her eyes immediately showed the love she felt for him. He walked over and sat beside her, while Clive subtly removed himself from the scene.

"We leave in half an hour."

Sara cast her eyes downward, now focussing on her hands that lay still in her lap. Michael reached for them and pressed a soft kiss to her palms. "You'll be safe here. Happy."

She closed her eyes. "I know. I've been blessed."

"…and I'll call you, okay? And I'll be waiting for you." He leaned against her while she gently pushed them back so they were lying on the bed. She cuddled up to him and idly traced patterns on his chest. "_I know._"

She huffed a laugh. "All of a sudden this doesn't seem like such a great idea. But I know it's for the best. I'm not… well enough. And Lynnie will fly you there safely. And when I'm better, she'll bring me there, too." A heavy sigh escaped her lips. "I'll miss you."

"Me too." He looked up towards the ceiling, where a glass shield granted them a view of the sky. "We'll see eachother soon, though. I know it – I just know it."

"Sara? Will you tell me how you knew where to go the other day?"

Sara

She raised herself on one arm and turned to him sideways, resting her head on her hand. "You'll think I'm crazy."

He tapped her nose with his finger. "I promise I won't."

Sara took a deep breath. "So, I woke up from the coma and Maggie was there, right? And the day passed, my father came by and we fought, Maggie and I talked about you and how I felt about you. At one time, she asked me how I would feel if something were to happen to you, and the question scared me, 'cause the very reason I woke up in the first place was because I heard you.. I heard you shouting my name in fear, and – that's when I woke up." She shook her head as if to clear the sound from her memories. She could still hear it in her mind, as if wasn't over yet, and she still had to go through all of that again.

"You called me that day, and I was angy with you. I shouted at you, I was…_mean_ and pretended like I just..didn't care. When I turned on the television afterwards, there was a report on the news. They said that –" She took a deep breath to steady herself. Her hands were shaking and she felt a sudden coldness envelop her. " They said that – you were gone. They'd shot you and you were lying there," A sob wrecked her body, and Michael drew her into his arms again, shushing her. "you were covered with a white blanket and you were – God, Michael. You were just _gone. _And I was – I couldn't breathe, and there was darkness."

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "It was all a dream."

"That's the thing," she whispered, looking into his eyes again, confusion clearly written in her own. "It _wasn't_ a dream. When I woke up again, the day just happened all over again. Every single detail was the same. You weren't gone yet. And I had to save you. I had the possibility of saving you, of being with you before it was too late. Maggie helped me,because she _knew_, Mal, and Clive,… – I couldn't get the image of you underneath the white sheet out of my head, and it was as if I'd memorized the place where it had happened. So I went there – and I found you."

She gave him a sideways grin. "Still don't think I'm crazy?"

Michael

Michael pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Nah. I'm just so – grateful. They gave us a second chance, Sara. Craziness aside…I'm just really happy. They brought you back to me." He kissed her tenderly, while she closed her eyes in contentment.

Their private moment was interrupted by Evelyne, calling for Michael, saying it was time to leave. Sara looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. "You have to leave again."

"Ah." He said, "but this time it's not for good. We'll see eachother soon." He brushed his lips against her lips, her eyes, her nose. "I love you, Sara."

She looked at him and smiled. "I love you too. I'll be with you soon."

--

When he sat in the plane, Lincoln beside him and Sara standing outside, her arms folded and a sad yet reassuring look in her eyes, his breath hitched. She was fading in the background until she was completely out of sight. He had a aching need to take over the plane and fly back to her, but he couldn't. They were almost there – they would be free.

And she'd come to him. She'd come.

* * *

_I wish I could give you the answers and paper and ink  
I wish I could stop all the tears before they start falling  
But we're feeling our way and we're always beginners  
We're all cuts and no scars_

_The higher you reach  
The further the sky  
The more miles you walk  
The longer the road  
The steeper you climb  
The harder you stand to fall  
The stronger you get  
The heavier the load_

_- The Gabe Dixon Band, "The further the sky". I don't know, it sort of fit, I can really see it playing as the plane takes off. That's just me, though._

_

* * *

_

_So? Please tell me what you think? Please? O, and what did you think about Evelyne? She's like, this somewhat crazy person, who's really really sweet. Have you ever seen the movie "Sydney White"? Well, she's sort of like Dinky, but not with the big hair and stuff. Just this really happy, really sweet and kind person. I was thinking about maybe writing something between her and Lincoln, but I'm not really sure. So, if you have an opinion on that, you can let me know, too!_

_Please, please, tell me what you think? I really need to know._

_Xo, as always,_

_Laura_


	11. Babydoll, what you gonna do now?

**A/N : You guys, I'm back! So sorry that it took me this long, I had briefly lost inspiration. But after watching yesterday's PB, with it not having _nearly_ enough cute & romantic MiSa scenes to satisfy my need (for God's sake, it's been months since we had a new episode, couldn't they give us ONE kiss?), I started writing again.**

**Please review? I need some lovin'! **

**PS : turned in the paper...have to give an oral presentation sometime this week. Gah!**

**Xo, as always**

* * *

Clive sympathetically squeezed her shoulder as they stood there, watching the plane take off into the sky. "Lynnie's a great pilot, so your boy will be safe. I promise, darlin'."

Sara grinned. "Oh, I don't question her capabilities for a moment. I'm just afraid for Lincoln. As I recall, your granddaughter has a mind of her own."

Clive let out a booming laugh. "That's for sure. The poor guy won't stand a chance against that girl's stubborness. I just hope she don't tease him too much." He frowned, suddenly rethinking his decision of letting his girl fly the both of them to Panama. It _was_ a long flight, after all.

-

"Lincoln Burrows, I _told_ you not to question me a-_gain_, did I not?" She turned in her seat, the goggles she was wearing enlarging her eyes to twice their size. She scowled at the man who was clearly getting on her nerves, trying to bully him into shutting up about her flying style. "Now, if you want drinks, they're right underneath your seat in the cooler. Unfortunately I don't have any big shutting-up tape with me."

She turned back to staring ahead of her, murmuring something about _thank god Sara had chosen the sensible one_. Michael nudged his brother in a 'what the hell are you doing' way, while Lincoln just rolled his eyes. "I only asked her why she was making so many turns and smiling so damn much."

"For _your_ information, mr. Burrows, I happen to like the scenery out here. Just look at those beautiful fields. I do love nature. Especially when I am flying. It feels like there's so much more beauty from up here."

"Great." Lincoln quipped. "Our pilot is a tree hugger."

Evelyne huffed angrily. "What are you – a concrete man?"

"Listen, I like nature, I just need some civilisation thrown in, too. You won't _ever_ see me plowing fields or milking cows." Lincoln told her. "And big birds just creep me out."

"I suppose you don't know nothing about hard work, then. Are you another soul sucking corporate man who just happened to be thrown in jail for a crime he didn't commit?"

Lincoln grinned. "Actually, my _brother_ was the corporate man. He _built _those concrete buildings you despise so much." Michael swatted his brother. "Thanks a lot, Linc."

The girl sighed. "Michael Scofield, say it ain't so!"

"It ain't so. I designed the buildings, not built them. I made them look beautiful and artsy. They weren't soulless things, they had style. They had attitude." It sounded great, he had to admit that.

"Alright, I guess I can live with that. Artsy is okay. You _do _love nature, I hope?"

Michael smiled. "Oh yeah, I _adore_ trees."

-

Sara sat at the kitchen table, tapping her pen on the wooden tabletop, trying to focus on the crossword puzzle she was trying to make to pass the time until she heard from Michael. She had already been sick twice since he had left, and it wasn't that Clive was a bad care-taker ("I took care of little shmutzie every single time she came home drunk off of her ass" he'd said), it was just that Michael was better. Michael would hold her in a way that made her feel safe, without question.

She desperately hoped that she would be able to meet up with him soon. She still had a bad feeling about the entire situation that didn't have anything to do with side-effects of the coma. Would they ever truly feel comfortable? Would they ever just get to be without looking over their shoulder every single minute?

Mal and Maggie had pitched in for a little money so Michael and Lincoln could go ahead and rent a small place to stay – under a different name, of course. She'd meet them as soon as she could - - and what was taking them so long?

"Don't fret, sugar. They're nowhere _near_ Panama. My guess is Mexico."

She blanched. "I think I feel sick again." Running up the steps to the bathroom, she fell down a flight. Touching her fingers to her temple, she flinched when she felt the blood flow. The sight of redness on her skin made her feel even more sick and she let out a sob. Clive was beside her in seconds, lifting her up in the air as best as he could and carried her to the bathroom, before pressing a wet towel to her face.

Sara was torn between wishing for Michael and not wanting him to see her like this. Weak and vulnerable, not being able to care for herself. She knew that he would want to be there, but it would break him as well. In a flash, she saw his face before her, twisted with worry. No, it was better that he knew nothing of this.

"Clive? Don't tell Michael. Please."

He nodded. "Sure thing, sweetheart."

-

"So here's the plan, yeah? Lincoln and me, we're together and we're renting a cottage in my name." Lincoln sighed and Evelyne grinned. "Humor me, big fella."

Michael smiled. His brother was beginning to get whipped by this girl. She was great, too. He completely understood why Sara was friends with her. Speaking of, he made his intentions known of calling her when it was all arranged. "Sure." Lynnie happily said. "Be sure to mention the part where I totally owned the sky."

-

"Hi, señor, we just got engaged," she proudly showed her plastic flowery ring, "and we would like to settle down here and rent a cottage, now wouldn't we, big fella?"

Lincoln grinned and pressed a noisy kiss to the side of her hair, knowing it would annoy her. "You got that right, cupcake." He batted his eyelashes at the clerk and winked. "I _do_ love this woman, sir."

The man looked very uncomfortable and simply nodded before sliding some pictures of available cottages towards them. They occassionaly made comments about them, going from 'but _honey_, we need some place to put the kids!' to 'why do you need a kitchen, baby, you can't cook!' before finally settling on one. It had a patio and a beautiful garden, three bedrooms and plenty of space. Relatively cheap, too.

Evelyne signed the papers as if it was something she did every day and expertly shook the man's hand after he had given her the keys. When they got out, she cheekily said : "Great. And now _every month_, you'll be able to enjoy the pleasure of my company."

"Let's rent us a car, too."

-

The phone rang. It was a sound that she had craved for so long, that she first thought she might be imagining it. It was only after Clive had answered it and brought it over to where she was lying on the bed, that she knew it wasn't only in her head. He mouthed 'it's your man' and grinned.

"Hello?"

"_Sara, it's me. __We're at our new place and I've gotta say, it's not so bad."_ He sounded happy and content, and it brought a smile to her slightly swollen lips. The damage from the fall was worse than she'd initially thought : a small cut from scraping against the wooden stairs and some bruising underneath her eyes and on her arms. Small cracks in her lips. She only hoped he wouldn't notice.

"That's great, Michael. Tell me, where are you at this very second?"

"_Uhm – I think this is going to be our bedroom."_ She imagined a blush creeping into his complexion when he spoke the words. "Oh, really?"

"_Yeah. It's pretty nice. You want me to decribe it to you?"_ She smiled when he went over every single detail : from the curls in the bedpost to the mirror next to the closet. His LLI was great for telling things this lively. She could really imagine the room.

"It sounds beautiful, Michael."

"_There's still some work to be done, but I think it'll turn out pretty great. So how are you feeling?"_ His voice immediately sounded worried, afraid that in the short time he had been gone, something had turned for the worse. If only he knew.

"I'm uh… I'm okay. I still get sick sometimes, but Clive is helping me through it. And before you say anything, I am so very happy that you're safe for the time being. I wouldn't have it any other way and I'll be better soon. Now, did Evelyne behave on the way there?"

"_She and Lincoln were driving eachother crazy!_" He laughed. _"I swear, it was really amusing to watch. I felt like they would jump eachother any second."_

His laugh was contagious. "I can totally see that happening."

"_It gets worse. Evelyne demanded that Lincoln play her fiancé at the rental office and he called her cupcake."_

"O God. I wish I could've been there." She realized her mistake immediately after saying the words.

"_Yeah, me too."_ His voice sounded pained, and she hated herself for making him feel that way. _"I miss you."_

"I miss you too, Michael."

"_Is that Sara?"_ she heard a voice pipe up nearby. _"Can I talk to her for a sec?"  
_"_Sara, someone wants to talk to you.."_

"I know," she chuckled. "I could hear her all the way over here. Just put her on. I'll talk to you soon."

"_Sara, hun! You gotta tell me what's going on over there, 'cause I'm feeling the vibes."_

'Feeling the vibes' was something Lynnie did even when they were young. For some reason, she could always feel when Sara was in trouble and subsequently, always got her out of it. Sara smiled sadly. If Michael had heard her say those words… "Lynnie, leave Michael for a second, will you? I don't want him to worry."

"_Okay, I'm gone. Now tell me."_ It was weird how she knew something was up, but was never worried. She always knew a solution to everything.

Sara let out a sigh. "I fell on the stairs. My face is torn pretty bad."

"_How bad? Plastic surgery bad?"_

Her friend giggled. "Nah, just some cuts and bruises."

"_And naturally you don't want your man to worry about you. I get it. I'll tell him it was just girl stuff, that I was feeling the vibes because you were missing him, alrighty?"_

"Thanks, girly. Now, I hear you and Lincoln got into quite a war?"

-

"Okay, you guys, I will see you as _soon_ as Sara is better, okay? And if not, I'll see you in a month…" She grinned at Michael's shocked face. "But she'll be better long before that. You just clean this place up before she arrives, alright? So you better get your buts moving."

She stepped into her small aircraft and waved a final time before pushing her goggles down so they were in front of her eyes. She gave them the thumbs up and took off.

"She's nice, isn't she?" Michael glanced at Lincoln, who stared into the direction she'd disappeared in.

Lincoln just grumbled. "Yeah. A real _cupcake_."

* * *

_So, what did you think? Did you like the Linc/Lynnie dynamic or not? Liked the MiSa scenes? Please let me know?_

_Pleaaaase let me know?_

_All my lovin'._


	12. Arithmetic

**A/N : Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's been such a long time since I updated this story, but I've had my hands full with my other story Worth The Fall (if you want to read that, too, you should go to my profile page and read it!). And well, I saw the finale this morning (those of you who have as well, probably know how I'm feeling) and so I HAD to write again! So here you go. The next chapter will be up soon, probably.**

**Please tell me if you like it?**

**Xo, as always**

**Small thing : Veronica already died in season one in my story, and LJ has been living with Nick ever since...**

* * *

Sara

The minute she entered the door, Sara pounced on her. It wasn't that she didn't love hanging out with Clive all the time, it was just that she needed another woman friend to talk to, discussing matters she couldn't with a grandfather.

"So, how was he? Was he alright when you left him?"

Lynnie grinned. "Sure, hun. That man of yours was as cute as a pug puppy. Although hopefully, he'll refrain from peeing all over the new place we just got you." Stars twinkled in her eyes. "It's gorgeous, Sara. Right by the beach. You can actually hear waves crashing."

Sara lifted her eyebrow and held it at a high. "How about his brother?"

Evelyne dramatically flopped down onto the worn red sofa, plucking at the seams. "That one is a whole different kind of story. He infuriated me!" Sara went to sit on the elbow-rest and smiled down at her friend, who now looked at her upside down.

"I think you liked it." She casually said, ignoring the outraged cry of disbelief that escaped her friend's lips. She flicked her nose. "I think you liked it _a lot_."

"I should have damned well stayed there instead of being here and letting _you_ annoy me." She stuck out her tongue, and Sara laughed. Lynnie still had that childlike playfulness that she herself sometimes lacked, and it was wonderful to be this free again. "So you would rather have Lincoln call you baby than talk to me?" She batted her eyelashes innocently. "My my."

"You know," she continued, "when I'm all better and you fly me over there, you should stay a little while. A few days. Get to know Michael and Lincoln a little better."

"Naw," Evelyne retorted, "I couldn't leave gramps all alone."

"Yes you could!" came a small shout from the kitchen, which had both the girls rolling their eyes.

"..and besides, I think he'd rather I weren't there." The stars in her eyes dimmed for a few seconds. Hey, she had only met the man a few hours ago, so she couldn't (already) like _like_ him, but something about the statement she had just uttered something about the way he had mockingly called her 'cupcake' had stayed with her. She tentatively streched her hand upwards to touch Sara's cheek. "Your face isn't so bad."

Sara clutched Evelyne's fingers in her own. "You didn't tell him, did you?" She trusted Evelyne with her life, but sometimes the woman was less than subtle.

"No, I didn't. When he asked me why I was feeling the vibes, I told him that it was just because you were feeling sad and missing him." She straightened her self in the sofa and held up her hands in surrender. "I mean, I didn't really now what to do, I don't know how to handle your boy yet."

Sara sighed. "Then that makes two of us."

"Huh?"

Sara motioned around her, her hands flying simply because she didn't know what to do with them. "I mean, I've only _allowed_ myself to love him for three days and we came from a place where it was necessary – absolutely vital – that he lied to me." She closed her eyes. "And then there's the matter of his wife."

"His _wha - _?"

Clive stormed out of the kitchen. "That man is _married_? I assume that you're not the wife in question?"

His face turned redish, and she immediately set the both of them at ease. "He married a foreigner so she could get her greencard. And because he needed a wife to give him something when he was in prison." At their shocked expressions, she added " a creditcard. Nothing else. But she's still his wife, he's still legally married."

Sara directed her gaze to the door. "And I don't know what to… I mean, should I be okay with this, should I compete with her, should I demand that he divorce her…?"

Clive dried the plate in his hands with a steady rhythm, looking pensive. "I guess you should be okay with it for a while, darlin. I mean, the men still are on the run, and the wife is far far away, I presume?"

She nodded. "I don't know _where_ she is, and I'm not about to ask him, either. Right now I just want to let myself get better…" she let out a shaky breath, "and just go to him. Go home."

She just wanted to go home.

-

Michael

Michael leaned down to retrieve Lincoln's shirt from where it had 'accidentally fallen to the floor' and fold it neatly. It had been this way when they were kids, too – Lincoln making a mess and Michael cleaning up after him. Most days he didn't mind, but other times he had wanted to smack Lincoln's face. He listened for the steady sound of a hammer punching in nails and discovered it was comming from outside. Walking into the heat of the scorching Panamanian sun, he created a bit of shadow in front of his eyes to be able to see his brother.

"You alright, Linc?"

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. I just wish…" the hammer stayed suspended in the air while he struggled for the words to say. "I just wish LJ was here."

"We'll find a way to get him over here, Linc. It just needs some time." It was a promise he would keep to his brother. Michael knew how much Lincoln loved his son, and they deserved to be together. Especially now that Veronica was gone.

"We've already lost so much time, man." Lincoln shook his head. "I can't stand to lose any more."

Time. It ate away at them. Every second of every day that they were here together, yet alone, weighed so damn heavy. It was different for him though, knowing that Sara was sick, but would be here soon. Lincoln had no clue as to when he would see his son again.

Michael went back inside and punched in the numbers he had memorized on the planeride here. "Hey, it's me. Listen, could you do me a favor?"

-

Sara

"I'm going. You can't stop me." She stubbornly pulled her jacket tighter around her body and jutted her chin.

"If you get caught by the police or trailed by the feds, your life is going to become a helluva lot more complicated than it already is."

"Maybe you're right. But LJ needs to see a familiar face. I've already met him once, when I went over there to talk to his lawyer. She convinced me that Lincoln was innocent." Her breath caught and tears formed in her eyes. "She's dead, now."

"Sara.."

"You heard her, old man. Sara's going – and I'm going with." Like a sister in arms, Evelyne came to stand beside Sara, her hand upon her shoulder. Her grandfather glared at her. "You're a bad influence, puppy."

"Yeah, I know. So, can we take your car?"

-

They found him sitting on the back steps to Nick's house, concentrating very hard on what lay before him. It didn't take her long to realize that it had something to do with the case. She smiled a little, observing him. He had the same furrow of concentration his father had.

"Hey LJ."

He jumped. She didn't blame him, the kid must be scared out of his wits. His mother and stepfather had been murdered, the life-long family friend… and his father and uncle were currently running from the authorities. His shock turned to recognition. "I know you from somewhere."

She explained to him. "My name is Sara. I was a doctor at Fox River."

"Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, I remember. So why are you here?"

Sara sat herself down on the steps he had previously occupied, and looked at him, hoping that he would accept her explanation. That he would believe her, and trust her. "I'm in love with your Uncle."

She blurted it out. Hm. That hadn't been what she had wanted to say, but anyway. "And… I've been helping them escape. They are now safely in a cottage in Panama, and I'm getting over there as soon as I am better." She looked him in the eye. "Your father misses you, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me."

LJ looked puzzled. "Are you sick?"

She sighed, embarressed. "I took an overdose of morphine the night your dad escaped. Your uncle had lied to me all along, and I…" she turned away. "I couldn't deal with that." Letting her hands drop back onto her lap with a loud clapping sound, she came to the conclusion of her little story. "But I got over it, and I tried to do too much in too little time, so now, yeah, I'm not feeling a hundred percent. Once I do, though, nothing is stopping me from stepping on my friend's plane and going over there."

He still looked at her sceptically. "Why should I trust you?"

"I don't know." She said. "You just should, because I'm telling the truth."

-

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, noticing the way she was so incredibly focussed on the road. His finger drew invisible shapes on the window of the '69 Mustang, trying to keep his mind distracted.

"Where are we going?"

She would have barely heard his mumble had she not been so damn eager for him to say something. "We're going to a friend of mine, and then when I'm all better, we're going to Panama."

"Is uncle Mike okay?"

Sara smiled. "Yeah, he's okay. He said your father is fixing up your room. The cottage is right by the beach, apparently."

"It's absolutely _gorgeous_," Evelyne supplied. "I think you'll love it."

The boy turned in his seat. "How would you know?"

Lynnie beamed. "Because I am the pilot who's going to fly you over there, squirt. AND I helped your father pick it out of a catalog. " Why did she feel so nervous around this boy? Why was it so important to her that he liked her?

She sighed. Evelyne Dumares was getting more and more sucked into Lincoln Burrows – quicksand, and she didn't know whether to scream or smile.

"I'll be better soon, LJ. I promise." Sara desperately prayed that she would get to keep that promise. She was feeling worse by the second.

* * *

_Okay, so PLEASE tell me what you think? Please?_

_Xo, as always_


	13. This is home

**A/N : hey guys! Okay, so I have to get up _really really _early in the morning, but thought I'd share this chapter with ya before I went to bed. Please please tell me if you like it?**

**Please?**

**Xo, as always**

* * *

Michael

Michael tapped his finger on the hardwood and winced when he accidently grazed his finger on a rough part. Hurriedly, he took it into his mouth and gently tried to suck the splinter out of there while clutching the phone between his ear and shoulder.

When Clive answered, he rushed to speak. "Hi, it's Michael. Is Sara around?" He should have known by the silence that followed his question that something was , he should have known something was wrong long before that.

His brow furrowed with worry. "What is it?"

Clive sighed. _"She had some difficulty breathing, Michael. When they were on the road, she had to pull over because she was hyperventilating and her hands had clamped up. She's asleep now, 'cause we put her to bed immediately after she came home."_

Michael closed his eyes, wishing to drown out the scenarios that went through his mind. He could almost see the panic in her eyes, he could almost hear her ragged breathing. "Will she be okay?"

"_Maggie said she would be fine. But all the same, I'd let her sleep. There's someone else who wants to talk to you, though. Hang on a second."_

"_Uncle Mike?"_ His nephew's insecure voice came on the phone. _"Are you okay?"_

"Hey buddy. I'm fine, and so is your dad. How 'bout you?" LJ had been through a lot these past months. More than any kid his age should go through. He had seen his stepfather get shot right in front of his eyes. He had lost his mother, and Veronica. The only family he had left was halfway around the world.

"_I'm okay. People here seem really nice."_ Michael nodded. He was glad LJ was with good people right now, he was glad LJ was safe. _"Sara's nice."_ The last statement was a sort of hidden question, and he knew the younger Burrows was waiting for his affirmation.

"Yeah. She is."

"_She said you lied to her a lot, in prison."_ Michael snapped his eyes open, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. _"But she said it's okay now, because she knew you had to."_

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do." It was – lying to her had never been easy. The faux flirtation had lasted all about five days, before he had genuinely started to care for her. The lies he told her started to cut him inwardly and he was grateful for the fact that he didn't have to do that anymore .

God, when he had heard about the overdose, he had felt sick to his stomach. More than that, he had felt –

"_Is my dad around? I want to talk to him."_

"Yeah." Michael shook his head to clear it of thoughts of remorse and pure, raw pain. "I'll get him for you."

-

Sara

She felt so heavy. It was as if her whole body had been smashed under a skyscraper tumbling to the ground. Opening her eyes, she blinked to try and get any indication as to what time it was. Rays of light entered the room from under the curtains, so she presumed it was daytime. Good. She could get up, then.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she tried to stand up, not surprised in the least when it took her a while. Clutching the railing, she carefully went down the stairs, her hand gliding along the polished wood. She sighed and sunk down onto the ground. She couldn't keep this up for much longer – she needed to be with Michael. He was the one she wanted, the one she needed.

So when she shuffled further towards the kitchen and heard the excited babbling, she had already made up her mind to go. They wouldn't stop her.

Suddenly the dizziness took hold of her again, but she tried to ignore it. Instead, she casually leaned against the doorpost and smiled at the scene in front of her. She would go. She would.

Michael

Lincoln looked on as his brother threw sets of clothes into his bag, struggling to keep his cool. "Michael, I know that your plans are usually pretty brilliant and what not, but I tell you, this is a bad one."

Michael paid no mind. "She needs me, Lincoln. I'm not leaving her to fend for her own."

Lincoln's indexfinger twirled in the air. "I'm confused. Didn't she _tell_ you to leave?"

"Sara doesn't always know what's best for herself." Lincoln rolled his eyes. So _that_ was the story Michael was going to go with, eh? He turned his back towards his brother and went for the phone. Someone needed to talk some sense into him, and Lincoln had never been good at that himself.

All the same, he hadn't counted on Evelyne picking up the phone. His instinct of needing to drive her up the walls immediately surfaced. "Hello, cupcake," he drawled. "Michael is being crazy, and I need Sara to talk so sense into him."

Sara

She groaned. "Oh Lord, why did it have to be _you_ callin'? Sara's still asleep."

"No, I'm not." Lynnie spun around to face Sara, and paled at the sight of her. She looked more worn than she ever had in her entire life, and it was apparent that she was struggling to stand. "If it's Michael, tell him that I'm leaving here in half an hour."

Evelyne's mouth fell. "You most certainly are _not_, miss Tancredi. You're staying right where you are."

On the other end of the phone, she heard Lincoln sigh. _"Great, her too huh?"_ She told him to shush, then came up with an idea. Taking the conversation into the other room, she told Lincoln of her plan.

"Listen," she said. "Michael's not going to want Sara comin' over there when she's still sick and she most certainly does not want to put him at risk by allowing him to come back for her. So we just put 'em on the phone with eachother, and they talk eachother out of it!"

"_Two wrongs make a right, is that it?"_

She smiled. "One can only hope. So, I'll put Sara on, and you get Michael, alright?" Preparing to walk back into the kitchen, she stopped short at the sound of his voice calling her name.

"_Evelyne?"_ He sounded a bit insecure, yet she had no idea why he would be. So she simply hummed her reply. "Hm?"

"_How are you doing?"_

She shrugged. "Going crazy with worry over one of my oldest friends, but other than that, I'm alright. How 'bout you, big guy?"

She could hear him smile on the other end. _"Going crazy with worry over my brother. Missing my kid. Same old."_ He cleared his throat awkwardly. _"Alright, I'm passing Michael."_

"Yup."

Michael

When Lincoln threw the phone at him, he caught it with obvious ease, yet he was still _clearly _annoyed. "Hello?"

"_Michael?"_

The relief that came over him when he heard her voice was immense. "Sara," he sighed. "I'm glad you're awake."

"_Me too."_ She smiled. It still amazed him how he could do all the little things with her that he had never deemed possible. Like hearing her smile, or his own fingers remembering the way her skin felt.

LJ's words from before still rung in his ears. _"She said you lied to her a lot, in prison._" He tried to block them out, to make room for her voice, talking to him from a thousand miles away.

"_You don't have to worry anymore, okay? I'm taking the plane in half an hour."_ The shirt that he held in his hand dropped to the bed. No, there was no way that she would be up to it.

"Sara, you can't. Just – stay where you are, I'm coming back."

"_Michael, are you insane?"_

"Are _you_? Sara, you've just had an episode of whatever it is that is wrecking your body, there is no way that you're up to flying to Panama. It's easier for me to come back." It was logic. Pure, simple logic that she _had_ to accept, stubborn as she was.

"_Right."_ She huffed. _"Easier for you to come back. It's too __dangerous__, Michael. I won't have you come back."_

"And I won't have you come here."

"_Fine."_

Sara

She angrily disconnected the phone and marched into the kitchen again, where she menacingly pointed at Evelyne. "You _will_ fly me to Panama, missy."

"No way in _hell_, Beetlejuice. And the way your conversation ended, I'm pretty sure your guy agrees with me."

Sara's eyes turned to slits. "You were eavesdropping?"

Evelyne shrugged. "Just a bit."

"That _idiot _wants to come back here." The anger still hadn't left her, and it clearly shone through her voice.

LJ smiled at her. "So you're both morons. You're perfect for eachother."

Sara couldn't help but laugh at his statement, knowing he was right. Michael was about as stubborn as she was, and if she was truthful with herself, neither of their plans was worth a damn. "You're so right, Junior."

LJ took a small bow and handed her the phone again. This was one smart squirt, she had to give him that.

"I'm sorry." She said the minute Michael answered the phone. " I shouldn't have hung up on you." She ran a hand through her hair. "I shouldn't even have gotten angry in the first place. Although, Michael, you have to see that neither of our plans will work. You were right about me not being up to it and I was right about it being dangerous."

"_I know."_ It was a small whisper, but it still made her feel warm inside. She smiled. They'd had their first fight as a couple (once again, she tried to block out the Nika-situation and the whole Fox River happening. They hadn't been together then). _"I'm sorry, too."_

"You know," she grinned, "your nephew is one smart kid."

"_How's that?"_

"When I told him about what happened, he said : 'so you're both morons. You're perfect for each other.' "

He chuckled. _"You're right. Smart kid. I taught him well."_

"Right. I should have known you'd take all the credit for that." Suddenly, a thought flashed into her head._ Michael and kids. _It was something to wonder about…what if.. "Seriously though, are we okay now? Are we clear – you stay in Panama and I stay right where I am?"

He resigned to the facts. _"Yeah, we're okay.I'm sorry. It's just…"_

"I know," she said. "I miss you, Michael." Sitting down on the couch where Lynnie had stared up at her not a day ago, she let her whole body relax. "God, I really miss you."

"_Me too."_ His voice broke when he spoke the words to her, and that was how she knew it was true. She was reminded of that time in the infirmary. _"At first, yes. I needed to be here, but then I wanted to be here. With you. And it's killing me to know that you'll never believe that."_ Oh, she believed him all right.

"I'll be home soon, Michael. I promise."

-

[One week later]

The minute she stepped from the plane, she knew that this was right. Every cell in her body hummed its agreement at being here, and her heart… her heart had never beat this fast. She hadn't told him they were coming. She had decided, together with LJ, that they would surprise them – catch them in the act of trying to clean up and settle in.

Her smile spread over her entire face and her eyes shone. _This is home._

Lynnie led them towards a small, cosy cottage, where they were immediately greeted by Lincoln, who was fixing up the outside of their house. He nearly ran towards his son and grabbed him in a bear hug, before turning towards Sara and hugging her as well.

Evelyne awkwardly stood aside, but beamed when Lincoln finally acknowledged her. "Hey there, cupcake." She pretended to look insulted, but Sara saw the true happiness on her face.

"Michael?"

Lincoln shook his head. "He went to the store to get supplies. He usually gets in through the front door, though. So if you want to surprise him, you could wait in the bedroom."

Lynnie snorted. "Ain't _that_ suggestive?"

Sara just nudged her. "Alright," she said, "but if he sees LJ and Lynnie.."

Lincoln shook his head again. "I can hear him coming from a mile away. I'll tell 'em to shut up, then talk to Michael. Tell him I put something on his bed or something."

Sara laughed. "Very creative."

Michael's brother just shrugged. "I have my moments."

-

She had skimmed her fingers along everything that stood in the room. Her tips had traced the carvings on their wooden closet, the curls in their bedpost and the small painting that hung on their wall. She smiled. _Theirs._

Sara had fiddled with all of his sweaters and looked under the bed to study his shoes. She loved it here.

When she heard Lincoln call his name, the excitement she felt was almost too much for her to bear, and for a moment she thought that she would faint from the greatness of it. _"I've put something on your bed, could you grab that for me?"_

The handle turned, and the door gently creaked open. When he saw her sitting on the bed, he looked stunned, and for a minute, he stood rooted to the earth.

"So," Sara lightly said. "Nice place you got here."

And then it happened. A smile equally broad as her own appeared on his face and setting down the groceries, he walked over to her, pulled her up and pressed her close to him. His hand stroked her hair and he kissed the side of her face, before looking in her eyes, showing her all the happiness he felt in this very moment. She wrapped her hands around his neck and, in turn, pulled him back towards her, guiding his lips to her own. _God, she had missed his kiss._

When his hand fisted in her hair, pulling her closer still, and he sighed a little, she felt goosebumps appearing on her skin, despite the obvious heat.

"I'm here," she whispered to him. "I'm home."

* * *

_So? What did you think? Pleaaaase let me know?_

_XO, as always_


End file.
